Mexican Caecilian

Mexican Caecilian

You might mistake this unusual animal for a worm, until you notice its sharp teeth! This is no worm – it’s an amphibian without legs.

The caecilian (pronounced seh-sill’-yen) lives in a network of underground tunnels. Its eyes are tiny, but since it lives in a world of darkness, it doesn’t depend on its eyesight to find food anyway. Instead, the caecilian relies on sensitive tentacles on its head to locate the worms, insects, snails and other small animals it eats.

The caecilian’s dozens of sharp teeth help it grab onto its prey, but they’re not used for chewing. The animal swallows its victims whole.

The caecilian's secretive lifestyle is one reason that so little is known about its habits in the wild.